• The PhD student will spend 2-3 months at one of the partner institutes, during which (s)he will be supervised by a researcher from that partner institute (the host).
  • In individual cases, with good reasons and mutual agreement between the partner institutes in question, this could be a bit shorter or longer – but no shorter than 1 month.
  • With mutual agreement between the partner institutes, this period could also be split into two different visits – as long as one of the two visits is at least 1 month.
• During this research visit, a PhD student may opt to spend 1-2 weeks at another partner institute on the same continent.
• A plan will be created in advance that the PhD student will work on during the research visit. This could e.g. be fieldwork or writing a research paper. The supervisor(s) fro­­m both the home and the host institute all must agree in advance on this plan.
• Supervision entails at least a 1-hour meeting every two weeks between the host supervisor and the visiting PhD student. More intensive collaboration, e.g. in the form of writing a joint paper, is a possibility but not required.
• The visiting PhD student will benefit from the same facilities (such as library access) as regular PhD students from the host institute. This includes the provision of a workspace (be it a permanent desk or access to a flex office).
• The visiting PhD student is allowed to participate in the same meetings as regular PhD students (like research seminars). Courses with credits are an exception to the latter; Visiting PhD students have no right to take these at the host institute, although they may audit a course with the instructor’s permission.
• Any tuition / supervision / bench fees that may normally apply to PhD students visiting the host will not apply to participants in this program.
• Other costs made by the PhD student, such as for accommodation, will be covered by the PhD student and/or the home institute.
• PhD students are responsible themselves for arranging travel, accommodation, and other practicalities, although any support that the host institute may be able to offer is much appreciated.
• Each partner institute appoints a contact person to (1) answer practical questions that visiting PhD students may have and (2) take care of any administration that must be dealt with at the host institute. This may e.g. be a secretary, department manager or graduate school coordinator.
• Outputs resulting from the research visit will acknowledge the contribution made by the host institute where appropriate, as well as the contribution made by the certificate program.
• The research visit should be completed (a) before the PhD student acquires her/his doctoral degree and (b) within 3 years after starting the course program. In individual cases, with good reasons and mutual agreement between the partner institutes in question, the latter time frame could be a bit longer.

We recommend PhD students to start planning their visit a year in advance. Steps to take:

1. Check the list of potential supervisors below to identify researchers at the intended host institute who are a good match with your PhD project.
2. Discusses ideas for the research visit and suitable supervisors with your supervisors at the home institute.
3. Contact the intended supervisor at the host institute to explore her/his interests in supervising your proposed visit.
4. Once relevant ideas and details have been discussed and mutual interest has been established, proceed by writing a short plan for the visit (use this template).
5. Once supervisors at both the home and the host institute agree on the plan, email the plan to the certificate program coordinator, with both the host and home supervisors in the CC. The certificate program coordinator informs the administrative contact person of the host institute.
6. Proceed to plan and prepare the visit (e.g. finding accommodation), in collaboration with the administrative contact person of the host institute.

How long in advance would I need to start planning/organizing my research visit?

At the moment, we can unfortunately not give you evidence-based advice on that, other than that it is always good to start as early as possible. Starting preparations early is amongst others important because finding accommodation locally can be difficult. It may therefore not be a bad idea to start preparing a year in advance.

If somebody at the partner institute who is not listed on this page seems like an interesting supervisor, is it still possible to approach that person?

The program is not a collaboration between universities, but between schools/departments within those universities (see the list of partners). As long as the researcher in question is employed at one of those schools / departments, there is a good chance that we may be able to get that person involved as your supervisor during the research visit. Please contact the program coordinator, who will make inquiries on your behalf.

How long do I have to complete the research visit?

You will need to complete the research visit (a) within 3 years of starting the course program and (b) before getting your doctoral degree. Please contact the program coordinator if you foresee any problems with meeting this requirement.

Can I split the research visit in two shorter visits instead of one long visit?

As long as both partner institutes agree, this is possible. The only condition is that at least one of the two visits is at least 1 month long.

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